I really have no idea Much of pro/am is shrouded in mystery because the financial arrangements between teacher and student can vary greatly even for one pro. Some try to establish a uniform charge rate - I suppose to avoid the anger if the students decide to 'compare notes'. Same goes for behaviour at comps. I was my pro's first pro-am student and the dinner treat was something I started from the beginning and try to keep up even though he now has several students.

I really have no idea Much of pro/am is shrouded in mystery because the financial arrangements between teacher and student can vary greatly even for one pro. Some try to establish a uniform charge rate - I suppose to avoid the anger if the students decide to 'compare notes'. Same goes for behaviour at comps. I was my pro's first pro-am student and the dinner treat was something I started from the beginning and try to keep up even though he now has several students.

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i always enjoy drinks & dinner with my pro when we've finished. nice time to recap, or just get our minds off of the comp & talk of other things.

At the last comp I could not leave the other two students out so invited them to join us. They are very nice and even insisted on splitting the dinner costs. I must admit to feeling a bit cheated from my post-comp private tete-a-tete. Comes from being his first one and now not wanting to share....

there is a studio independent pro who loves to hang out with students; sometimes if he's in super happy mood, he pays for everyone's food and drinks; he just loves teh feeling of being surrounded by his fans...when he's in his normal mood, the bill is divided equally and everyone pays which is more fair...

Tipping. we dont don't do it here very much at all...my partner does when we have been out to dinner and he enjoyed the food, but I think that is an old habit from Europe. Going out now is not a cheap affair, food has become very expensive.

I was being facetious. On a serious note, where do you draw a line on tipping? Do you tip every service provider: your stock broker, the department store clerk who help you find things, the clerk at starbucks, your bank manager, local news reporter, the plumber, the painter, general contractor....?

Tipping. we dont don't do it here very much at all...my partner does when we have been out to dinner and he enjoyed the food, but I think that is an old habit from Europe. Going out now is not a cheap affair, food has become very expensive.

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oh so tipping waiter isn't a common practice in Australia? It's actually not an old Europe thing, I've been in England, Italy, czech Republic, and some other European countries, my European friends don't tip at restaurants, they say they usually don't tip at all, it's not a custom. but here in USA, we always tip the person serve you food at restaurant, it's more an American thing.

Question: do wait staff in Europe (and other place where tipping isn't done) get paid a decent wage by the restaurant? If there is no tipping, is the only way to signal that service was good or poor to speak to the restaurant management?

That's what I was wondreing Joe. As of ourse here, wait staff is paid less than minimum wage, with tips expected to make up the difference. If same isn't true other places, that'd explain it. But then you'd have the chicken/egg question as to whether the pay started that way or the tipping started and prompted the change in pay.

I know in the countries I've visited bar and wait staff make a fair wage, enough so that they don't need to rely on tips. Friends and I have been given the oddest looks when we still tip the bartender at the start of the evening. We do that to try and ensure prompt service as the evening gets busier. It works... But I know they make enough money to support themselves without it. In Ireland, being a manager of such an establishment is considered quite an accomplished position. More so than here in the US.

At the last comp I could not leave the other two students out so invited them to join us. They are very nice and even insisted on splitting the dinner costs. I must admit to feeling a bit cheated from my post-comp private tete-a-tete. Comes from being his first one and now not wanting to share....

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I know how you feel---the pro I dance with has a student from Japan that he has done pro-am with for 18 years. I was the "add-on". But since she is not here all the time I spend more time with him. She is delightful--the way we handle it is that HE picks the restaurant and we alternate nights picking up the check. Seems to work for all three of us!

Question: do wait staff in Europe (and other place where tipping isn't done) get paid a decent wage by the restaurant? If there is no tipping, is the only way to signal that service was good or poor to speak to the restaurant management?

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Do you tip your dental hygenist? A shop clerk? Or the umpteen other people who provide you service as part of their jobs? How do you indicate good or bad service there? Its the same in europe - you either say something or you don't go back (or both).

I know how you feel---the pro I dance with has a student from Japan that he has done pro-am with for 18 years. I was the "add-on". But since she is not here all the time I spend more time with him. She is delightful--the way we handle it is that HE picks the restaurant and we alternate nights picking up the check. Seems to work for all three of us!

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It wasn't a paying issue at all SK - but a time one. I was jealous of the post-comp time that I could spend alone with pro that now I had to share...